Ever wondered what happened to the “Heathers” or the Plastics from “Mean Girls” right after high school? In its own way, “Forbidden Fruits” (IFC/Shudder), directed and co-written by Meredith Alloway, offers some clues.
Meet ringleader Apple (bi actor Lili Reinhart), Cherry (Victoria Pedretti), and Fig (queer actor Alexandra Shipp); the titular forbidden fruits, all of whom work at overpriced boutique Free Eden (a barely concealed slam on the faux boho Free People) at the Highland Place Mall in a Texas suburb. The trio is “mall royalty.” They never pay at the food court, and diners vacate their table when they see them approaching.
Little do they know that they are being observed by Pumpkin (Lola Tung), who is handing out pretzel samples from Sister Salt’s (a thinly veiled Aunt Anne’s). She charms her way into the clothing coven by bringing Apple cinnamon pretzels (her fave). It also helps that Pumpkin and Apple have something in common – both are members of the “elite dead dad’s club.” Once initiated, Pumpkin must adhere to the rules, including only texting boys with emojis, and using the dressing room confessional, where they confess their sins to the “ultimate femme,” Marilyn Monroe.
Every cult has members with secrets, and this one is no different. Fig, for example, has a serious boyfriend named Norman of whom she knows no one will approve. Cherry, who is newly sober, has a series of sex dates in Free Eden dressing rooms. Apple lives in her Volvo station wagon. Pumpkin is very close to her mother and shares intel about Apple with her on a regular basis. There’s also the issue of former member Pickle (Emma Frances Chamberlain), who is persona non grata.
“Forbidden Fruits” takes a while to ripen, but when it does, viewers should be prepared. One character gets a meat cleaver to the side of the head. One jumps from an upper-floor bridge in the mall. Another is devoured by a malfunctioning mall escalator. Yet another is essentially sliced in half by falling glass during a Texas tornado.
The horror aspect may take a backseat to the movie’s commentary on mall culture, the seasons of fashion, sisterhood and family, and personality power struggles. However, the payoff, involving the lone survivor at a soon-to-be-opened Free Eden store in an Arizona shopping mall, is almost worth the wait.
Rating: B
